Session Addresses the Unique Needs of International Faculty

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The Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center International Faculty Teaching Luncheon took place in March.

"It has been a long time coming," said Co-Director Lynn Meade. "Adnan Alrubaye, international faculty from microbiology, reached out to the center a couple of years ago, drawing our attention to the unique needs of international faculty. Under the direction of Kathy Sloan, then-vice provost of faculty affairs, we organized an international faculty listening session. Key leaders across the university were invited to sit and listen as international faculty spoke about their concerns, their needs and their place at the University of Arkansas."

Drawing from the lessons of that listening session, several actionable items followed:

• First, the International Faculty Organization was formed and led by Adnan Alrubaye, microbiology, and Rocio Paez Ritter, sociology.
• Second, the Teaching and Faculty Support Center and the Diversity Equity and Inclusion offices teamed up to host international faculty luncheons.
• Third, the decision was made to add an information session to new faculty orientation to acclimate incoming international faculty to the culture of the U of A.

"Keeping with our goal to promote learning, teaching, community and advocacy for University of Arkansas faculty, we thought a teaching focused training was the logical next step," according to Meade.

International faculty were polled about their biggest teaching concerns, and those concerns provided the content for the session. A panel consisting of Alrubaye and Paez Ritter, along with Anna Zajicek, vice provost for faculty affairs, and Angela Mosley-Monts, interim vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion, provided insight into key issues.

Meade moderated the session and asked the panel to address questions such as how to help students understand the benefits of having an international faculty member teach them, how to deal with student microaggressions and how to create a culture of respect in the classroom.

One important theme of the session was that all faculty are valued and have a place at the U of A. International faculty are encouraged to contact Alrubaye or Paez Ritter to gain more information about the International Faculty Association.

The session was a collaboration between the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center; Faculty Affairs; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and the International Faculty Association.